It’s not uncommon for a musician to record more work than they release. In Steve Vai’s case, he has a digital ocean at his fingertip ranging from when he played the accordion at nine to something he recorded earlier today. In order to share his life’s work and experiences with the world, Steve has recently launched VaiTunes
Brad Richter is a rare bird. He is a classical guitarist, but you will never hear him playing a Bach piece or any Tarrega. Instead he performs solely his own compositions, utilizing techniques few other guitarists use, mostly because he made them up.
For many musicians, being given a 50 plus minute drum solo to listen to, then asked to write and record a duo track to accompany that drum solo, before devoting two years of one’s life (on and off) to the project would seem out of the question, if not a little crazy. But that is the scenario that Chapman Stick player Trey Gunn found himself in when he teamed up with percussionist Marco Minnemann on their duo album Modulator. The album features a pre-recorded drum track, which is almost an hour in length, that Gunn was then expected to work with as he composed, improvised and recorded his second part of the album. The result is not only thought provoking from a compositional and musical standpoint, it is an engaging work of avant-garde art that pushes one to break down their expectations and boundaries as they join these two world-class musicians for this hour-long epic ride.
There is something to be said for capturing music live, in the moment, with all the excitement of the band caught in the thrill of the song and the crowd cheering them on to new heights of inspiration. Blues guitarist Todd Wolfe is no stranger to the stage, and he recently brought that experience to a new live CD and DVD, aptly titled The Todd Wolfe Band Live. The album is a blues tour de force that features Wolfe’s powerhouse trio at the peak of their inspiration and technical facility.
Marty Friedman is one of the finest shredders to come out of the ’80s, and one of the survivors from that age. The two albums he released with Cacophony (also featuring the great Jason Becker) are still influencial today. After Megadeth, he became very popular in Japan working on TV and in the local “J-pop” music scene as producer and musician.
Guitarist David Lindley is a pioneer of international music who led one of the first world music rock groups during the ’60s called Kaleidoscope. He would later work with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne starting in 1971 and his staggering solos can be heard ripping through such hits as Jackson’s classic “Running on Empty.”
In the third and final segment of our three-part interview with Les Paul’s son, Rusty Paul, Rusty delves into how he plans on perpetuating Les Paul’s legacy, the early days of Fender, competition between the guitar makers, Joe Satriani, and the magic that inherently came along with Les wherever he went.
In this Part II of our three-part interview with Rusty Paul, son of the legendary Les Paul, Rusty gives us a glimpse into Les Paul’s relationships with some of the most beloved guitarists and musicians in the music world, including Jeff Beck, Tommy Emmanuel, Slash and Steve Miller, among others. Let’s get right to it!
In tribute to the legendary guitarist, Les Paul, we caught up with his son, Rusty (Lester G. Paul, Jr) to gather up his thoughts about his father, who had passed a way over a year before. We knew Rusty was carrying on the family musical legacy, by playing bass with his own group, frequenting the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, a long time gig played by his father every Monday night for decades and working on a tribute tour for his dad.
Queensryche’s anticipated new CD, Dedicated to Chaos is the sound of the band marching forward artistically, philosophically and sonically. Their commitment to their craft is unwavering. Their ability to challenge themselves and create new soundscapes is unparalleled in hard rock. A band continually re-inventing themselves, growing, and blending the boundaries of heavy metal, hard rock, alternative to form a unified and unique sound that is always recognizable with Geoff Tate’s vocals at the helm. I had a chance to meet up with guitarist Michael Wilton to talk about the new CD, reflect back on the 20th Anniversary of Empire and talk about all things on guitars and gear.
